The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-10-15
SOME coMIcAL NAMES.
RAcoIIections of Queer Things Discovered
in English Parish Registers.

"The peculiar nomenclature and
phraseology which characterized the
New Highlander of century ago, and
which still distinguish him from all the
other inhabitants of the United States,
said prominent citizen of St. Louis
who was born and reared within the
sacred precincts of Boston, ''are not
native to the soil, but came over in the
Mayfower along with the strange Gus
toms and stern religious principles OF
the Puritans A Boston preacher is
sued book some time last fall giving
the result of his researches into the old
chronicles and church records Of towns
like Old Boston, Banbury and other
Puritan strongholds during a summers
soiourn in England, and he found that
nearly all the phrases, expressions and
names peculiar to New England were
in common use there three hundred
years ago. And have myself found
in studying English nomenclature,
which, by the way, is hobby OF mine,
that many of the names, family and bap-
tismal, of to-day are but contractions
Of the extravaganza titles given by the
earlier Puritans. It is true we do not call
our children "Zeal-of-the-Land Jones
or 'Search-the-Scriptures Thompson, but
we have plenty of such baptismal names
as Grace, Patience, Constance, Faith,
Hope, Beulah, Justice or Mercy. In
surnames Farweu is derived from
the old Puritan Christian name Fare
Well; Hopewell, now a surname, was
once Hope-Well. Tiffany comes from
Epiphany, Truhart from True-Heart,
and so on. The names peculiar to the
Puritans, such as scriptural phrases,
pious calculations or godly admonitions,
began to prevail in England south of
the Trent, and particularly in and
around Banbury, about the time of
Queen Elizabeth's reign. It was not
the mere result of cranky notions, but
the practice was instituted with de-
liberate purpose, the intention being to
separate, as far as possible, the Puri-
tans from the 'godless,' and make them
distinctive in name as well as in habits
and religious belief. Scripture names
they would gladly have taken, but the
publication of the Geneva Bible had
long before flooded the country with
Hebrew names, and so, instead of Ne
hemiah or Zerubbabel, they took Good
Work and Hate-Evil. For upward of
century they gave no other names to
their children, and the combina-
tons were sometimes very conf
cal. For instance, 'Praise-God Bare
bone, the head of Cromwell's Par
lament, is said to have had three
brothers named Fear-God Barcelona,
Jesus Christ Came-Into-the-W orld-to-
Save Barcelona, and If-Christ-Had-Not1
Died for Thee Thou Hadst- Been
Damned Barcelona. Fancy sitting down
to dinner with a brother with such
name and having to say, If-Christ-Had-
Not Died for Thee Thou-Hadst-B Been
Damned, please pass the butter This
gentleman, however, was never called
by his full name, but was Familiarity
called DIR. Damned Barcelona. Such
titles as notwithstanding t-of-F Faith,
Help-on-High, Learn-Wisdom, What
Goodwill and Zeal-for-God were COM
mon. The virtues were especial favor
ties. Sir Thomas Carew, Speaker of
the House of Commons in James and
Charles reign, had four daughters
Patience, Temperance, Silence and Pru-
dence. The name Silence was es-
pecially popular as a feminine title,
and it was used probably to stand as
constant reminder of woman's great
failing. Diligence, Obedience, Perse-
verance, Humiliation and Repentance
were in common use, the latter grow
ing so monotonous that Sorrow-for-Sin
was sometimes used by way of change.
Another class of names were exhorta-
tory sentences, pious CALCULATIONS, or
professions of sorrow for sin, such as Re-
joice, Give Thanks, Be-Strong, Sim
Deny, Be-Steadfast or Do-Good. A man
named Skyes is said to have had four
sons named Love-Well, Do-Well, Die
Well and Farewell. Strange to say,
Farewell Skyes was drowned, and
Live Well, Do-Well and Die-Well were
the chief mourners. In an old register
at Bishopsgate is an entry that reads
something like this: Sept 1, 1611.-
Job-Rakt- ut-of-the-Ashes, being borne
the last of August in the lane going to
Sir John Spencer's back gate, and there
laide in heape of asshes, was baptized
the 1st day of September following, and
dyed the next day after If he had
lived he would probably have been
called Ashes for short. The name
Dancell- Dallphebo- Marke-Antony-D
lery-Gallery-C@sar, which appears in
the parish register at Old Sevenford, is
probably a hit at Puritan eccentricity.
A Sussex jury of about the time of the
Restoration contained the following
names: Accepted Trevor, Redeemed
Compton, Faint-Not Hewet, Make-Peace
Heaton, God-Reward Smart, Stand-Fast-
on-High Stringer, Earth Adams, Called
Lower, Kill-Sin Pimple, Return Spell
man, Be-Faithful Joiner, Fly-Debate
Roberts, Observation-Disclosures
White, More-Fruit Fowler, Hope-For
Binding. Graceful Hartlins.. Ween-Not